John Terry NOT GUILTY of racial abuse

John Terry's been found NOT guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle said the case was not about 'whether Mr Terry was a racist in the broadest sense of the word'.

He said he'd heard a great deal of evidence to show that he was not.

The 31-year-old left court within minutes of the verdict, making no comment as a group of Chelsea fans waiting outside cheered as he walked by.

Mr Terry was accused of calling Ferdinand a "f****** black c***" during a Premier League match between Chelsea and QPR last October.

Concluding his statement, Riddle said: 'Weighing all the evidence together, I think it is highly unlikely that Mr Ferdinand accused Mr Terry on the pitch of calling him a b**** c***.

Terry vehemently denied he was racist and claimed the video took him out of context. “I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him. I responded aggressively, saying that I never used that term. I will fight this charge tooth and nail”, he said. Amid all the TV camera angles there've been, this uncensored close-up of Terry was the clearest evidence of a strong case to be answered.

Terry was no ordinary person at the dock, and although he shouldn't have been treated any differently from anyone else facing charges of racism, he was in a position of responsibility to behave inside boundaries. Despite his repeated horridness, incredibly some fans continue to look upto him.

OVER TO THE FA NOW

But the collateral damage of this case could still hang over his life and playing career. The Football Association have 'noted' the case and may still punish Terry in some way.

Football can and should punish him on the basis that he doesn't deny using those choice of words on a pitch in front of thousands of fans and millions on TV.

Society simply can't afford to tolerate this kind of alleged behaviour from a player of his standing and level.

No one will believe football's story of standing against racism and other forms of prejudice if the authorities don't act.